The Mirror tracked down former Northern Rock boss Adam Applegarth yesterday - and wiped the smile off his face.

Ex-chief executive Applegarth was grinning like a Cheshire cat as he sat in his flash BMW X5 with his son shortly after the job cuts were announced.

But when asked about them, he said, "No comment" as he wound up the window and sped off.

Rock workers blasted him and the other bosses who made millions selling shares as staff were advised to invest.

At least one employee lost £70,000 when the bank went into meltdown.

But dad-of-two Applegarth, 45, who resigned in the wake of the crisis, made nearly £2.7million in 18 months of trading.

He has a £2.5million country pile in Northumberland, a £250,000 flat on Newcastle's Quayside and a fleet of high-performance cars, including the £50,000 X5, a £60,000 Range Rover and a £30,000 BMW 3 series.

One angry employee said yesterday: "Applegarth and the rest made millions selling shares while we were all told to invest in the company. It is a f****** disgrace."